


Language Barriers

by Bubbly_Kandy



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: A single sexual reference but its not that bad, De-aged Credence Barebone, F/M, Fluff, Parenthood, let them be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 15:12:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16894950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbly_Kandy/pseuds/Bubbly_Kandy
Summary: Credence had called her mama. Not ‘Ma,’ which was what Mary Lou had made him call her, nor ‘mum,’ something that, if she were being honest, fitted Newt more.(Or: Newt and Tina adopt a younger Credence.)





	Language Barriers

See, Tina never understood why American and British lingo were so different. It just caused for more confusion-  _ especially  _ with dear Credence, who never knew that biscuits were cookies to the English. The little boy had been (adorably) puzzled when Newt handed him a cooky after telling him that he was getting a biscuit, leading to Credence following him around saying “Newt, cooky i’n’t biscuit!” until Tina distracted him. 

If you asked Tina, she still found the differing lingo confusing. She  _ knew  _ that Newt was stealthily swearing around her- she knew ever since Newt had (in a rare burst of anger) said “Oh, blow me!” in response to Tina accidentally dropping a mug and a baby Niffler cutting their paw on a sharp edge. Tina had stared at him with wide eyes- it wasn’t like Newt to say something like  _ that,  _ first of all. Secondly, it was Tina’s fault she had dropped the mug- why was he wanting anything other than to fix up the poor Niffler’s paw? 

Thankfully, Newt had told her what it meant as she watched him carefully pour ointment on the creatures upturned paw- he hadn’t asked for  _ that,  _ but rather it was an expletive that his father used often and Newt had adopted into his own speech. Tina still couldn’t hide her blush, but Newt joined her once he and her started to actually think of- anyways!

Credence, on the other hand, was much more adaptable to Newt and Tina’s differing slang. The boy was starting to develop an interesting accent- he would start a sentence with either a vaguely American or English accent, but then finish the sentence with the opposite accent he had started with. He was also starting to switch between different pronunciations of certain words- his constant switching with words such as ‘envelope’ and ‘medicine’ was hilarious. 

Before Tina and Newt took in Credence, she had done heaps of research about children. She knew how to theoretically raise a child; how teach them how to read, how to potty train them, and how to keep them occupied even in the most boring of situations. However, once Credence took the de-aging potion and was back to a energetic four year old, Tina realized that she was as helpless as a newborn when it came to children. She would talk to him as she would to an adult, not remembering that he was only  _ four  _ and not a thirty year old Auror.

(It boggled her mind to think that she and Queenie were once that old. She then wondered why she couldn’t understand children, because she was once that age!)

One day, Newt took her and told her to talk to Credence like he does most of his creatures. That meant speaking to him in a pleasant tone, and making sure to use words that he would understand. She practiced with the Mooncalves, and made many new friends before Newt came back with Credence tightly holding his sleeve.

“Why can’t I speak to him like you do with your baby creatures?” Tina teased him, once Credence was playing with some of the herd. Newt began to scold her on the importance of not babying a toddler before she told him she was joking, a Mooncalf lumbering over and laying her head in Newt’s lap. He flushed red, mumbling a apology before Tina shushed him, patting his cheek sweetly. “It’s alright, I shouldn’t’ve asked.”

_ “Shouldn’t’ve,”  _ Newt said in disgust, shaking his head before going back to the Mooncalf that was resting with her head on his lap. Tina giggled, reaching out and scratching the Mooncalf’s head, earning a content bray. There was a squeal from across the field, Tina’s head shooting up and scanning the field before her eyes landed on Credence, who was ripping up grass and feeding it to the Mooncalves that were bumping him around gently.

“Can he do that?” She asked, Newt looking at where she was and shrugging, going back to the Mooncalf.

“They’re a lot like cows,” He said. Then, with a slightly sassy tone, he added, “They can eat grass- I put them in a grassy spot for a reason.”

“No!” Tina said, repeating the word a few times. “Can he  _ rip up  _ grass and feed it to him?”

“Oh!” Newt said, waving her off. “It grows back- I cast a controlled growing spell over it.”

Tina shook her head at the nonchalant way he said it- the man was a genius. If Tina had to cast not only a growing charm, but a carefully controlled one that wouldn’t keeping growing and eventually take over the entire habitat, she would have failed completely.

After a while of petting any Mooncalves that came her way and sitting with Newt, Tina checked the time and realized it was time for lunch. Newt convinced her to have a lunch with just her and Credence; he called it ‘bonding,’ Tina biting back a quip that she and Credence weren’t his creatures as she remembered that bonding was human as well.

She stood, brushing off her skirt before cupping her hands around her mouth, calling for Credence. He ran over, grabbing the hand she offered to him and babbling about what he had done with the Calves. He then convinced her to look at the Nifflers’ nest before they went to eat, Tina finding a earring that had been missing for the past day or so. They left Newt to scold the Nifflers as they went upstairs, Tina bundling she and Credence up and grabbing her wallet.

“Missus Goldstein, where we goin’?” Credence asked, Tina leaving a note in clear sight for Newt before lending him a hand and going outside. She swung the hand that Credence was holding onto, Credence giggling.

“We’re going to Mister  Kowalski’s bakery.” 

“Why?"

“Because we haven’t seen him or Miss Queenie in a while, yes?” She asked him, Credence thinking about that and finding her reply satisfactory. They walked in a warm silence to Jacob’s bakery, Credence wiggling out of her grip once she opened the door and running behind the counter, where Jacob was refilling a display case.

“Mister Kowl’ski!” 

Jacob looked down, grinning once he saw the little boy. “Hey buddy!” He said, going back to his task of filling the case again. “How are you?”

Tina watched, finding the scene a bit funnier than it was because Credence was hidden completely behind the counter, making it seem like Jacob was talking to open air.

Queenie appeared from the back room, gasping and skipping up to Tina and giving her a hug.

“How are you, Teen?” She asked, her curls bouncing on her forehead. “How are the boys?”

“They’re great,” Tina said, motioning over to where Jacob and Credence were having a discussion about, it seemed, the designs on Jacob’s cupcakes. “Newt stayed home- he wanted me and Credence to have a lunch for ourselves.”

“Aww- sweetheart,” Queenie said, turning to where Jacob was. “Jacob, d’you think Tina and Credence can join us for lunch?”

“Of course!” Jacob said, looking towards Tina. “Is a salad and a treat from the bakery okay?”

“Sure,” Tina said, going back to Queenie, who had a concentrated look on her face. “Stop that!”

“Wha- oh, sorry Teen,” Queenie blinked back into reality, her smile a bit brighter. “Newt taught you how to talk to Credence?” 

“Well- he  _ reminded  _ me,” Tina said, holding her hands over her head. “Don’t!”

“Sorry!” Queenie squeaked, gesturing over to a table and sitting, Tina following her. Tina rested her chin in one of her hands, tapping the table with the other.

“He just- he put me with the Mooncalves, and told me to pretend I was talking to Credence,” She explained. “I told him that I didn’t like-”

“Not knowing how to talk to a child?” Queenie finished for her, putting her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

“Well, you’re right,” Tina sighed. “I forget that children can’t understand older people talk, sometimes. I talk to him like I do you or like I did when he was-” She cut off her sentence, replacing it with, “-or with Newt, and he’s staring at me with the most puzzled look on his face.” She ended the sentence with a slight laugh, Queenie resting on of her hands on Tina’s free hand.

“That’s okay!” She assured her. “You’re not used to children, so it’s harder for you to-”

“He’s not used to me, either,” Tina suddenly burst, Queenie’s eyebrows shooting up. “Sorry. He’s just- he called you ‘Aunt Queenie,’ the other day.”

Queenie gasped, bouncing happily in her seat with a big smile. She suddenly stopped, her face falling as she obviously got a glimpse of Tina’s thoughts. “But he still calls you-?”

“‘Missus Goldstein,’” Tina said, Queenie pouting vaguely. “He calls Newt ‘Newt,’ and he’s starting to call Jacob ‘Jacob’ instead of ‘Mister Kowalski,” but-” she sighed. “I’m still just ‘Missus Goldstein.’”

“Oh, but he _adores_ you,” Queenie said, Tina raising her eyebrow. “He does! Whenever I glimpse into his mind when you’re around, he’s _so_ much happier.”

“Then-” Tina cut herself off as Jacob and Credence appeared again, Credence with his arms full of silverware and Jacob with a salad and bread. Jacob kissed Queenie on the cheek as he set the food down, Queenie blushing pink as he went to get two more chairs. Credence set the cutlery down, jumping into Queenie’s lap. Tina pushed down her jealousy, Queenie and Credence laughing as he got himself situated. 

“How are you, dear?” Queenie asked him as Jacob pulled up his chair, Jacob and Credence starting to talk at the same time before Jacob realized that she was talking to Credence. He cleared his throat, pressing his lips together in embarrassment before turning to Tina. 

“How are ya, Tina?” He asked, Tina using the tongs to put some salad on her plate before picking up her fork and taking a bite. 

“All ‘ight,” She said through her mouthful of salad, Jacob raising an eyebrow. “All right,” She repeated once she swallowed her bite, Jacob humming and putting some salad on his own plate. “Newt kicked us out of the house for lunch,” She told him, Jacob laughing.

“Sounds like him.” He said, Tina smiling lightly and stabbing a baby tomato.

They all finished lunch, Credence carefully choosing his pastry with Jacob putting in his two cents. Queenie and Tina already had chosen theirs, and Tina was trying to rub powdered sugar off of her nose when Queenie turned to her again with a serious look.

“I heard you during lunch,” she said, Tina preparing herself for a lecture. “I’m just his aunt, Tina, not-”

“You admit it?” Tina asked, Queenie blushing and shrugging with one arm. “Don’t feel bad! It’s just-”

“I bet he has a perfect name in his head for you,” Queenie said wisely, taking a bite of her cream puff and getting powdered sugar on her nose. The sisters giggled, Credence bouncing towards them with a brown bag. 

“I got two cookies!” He said, Jacob ducking behind the counter once Tina looked at him. 

“One’s for Newt!” Jacob said from under the counter, Tina rolling her eyes and hearing Queenie giggle. 

“Well, I think we should be going- I have to see if Newt fed himself,” Tina said, Queenie giving her a tight hug and kissing Credence on the cheek as a goodbye. “Bye, Queens.”

“Bye Teen!” Queenie bounced behind the counter, where Jacob was now standing fully. Jacob said goodbye, and Tina closed the door on Queenie kissing Jacob on the cheek.

\---

“Newt? You still alive?” Tina called down into Newt’s suitcase, two weeks after she and Credence’s lunch with Jacob and Queenie. Credence giggled behind her, hugging around her neck.

“Papa’s okay, Miss Tina,” He said, Tina smiling as she felt him lay his head on her shoulder.

One week ago exactly, Credence was reading aloud with Tina. Newt had come upstairs, heard Credence read ‘papa,’ and had said, “Yes, Credence?” In a way that had Tina’s heart swell happily. Credence was now constantly calling Newt ‘papa,’ something that made Newt perk up happily every time he heard it and made Tina’s heart sink the tiniest bit.

While ‘Miss Tina’ was a major improvement from ‘Missus Goldstein,’ it brought up her doubt that Credence didn’t like her as much as Newt. Tina could understand- she left early in the morning and came back late with a confusing schedule that confused their entire little family. Meanwhile, Newt stayed home all day- albeit in his suitcase, but he allowed Credence to come down with him and play with the creatures who Newt trusted to be nice to the little boy.

“Credence is right, Tina,” Newt called up the stairs, Tina shaking herself out of her head and wrapping her arms securely around Credence, picking him up and making him giggle happily.

“Your brother is waiting for us at the station,” Tina told him, a muffled swear coming from the suitcase along with something crashing on the ground. “You alright?”

“Perfectly! Just give me a moment- you two get dressed,” Newt yelled up the stairs, Tina shaking her head affectionately at Newt before carrying Credence to where their coats were.

“What are we gonna do with him, Cree?” She jokingly asked the little boy, Credence giggling with her as she put him down, letting him put his own coat on. 

“I dunno, Miss Tina,” Credence said, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he started to button his coat. Tina hummed, pulling on her shoes as they heard a thump from behind them, Credence turning on his heel and starting to laugh.

“An elegant entrance,” Tina said, kissing Newt on the cheek quickly once he got close enough. Blushing, Newt grumbled and pulling on his coat, pulling his shoes on before helping Credence with his own shoes. “Hey!”

“What?” Newt asked, holding up one of Credence’s shoes, the other one already on. Tina started to retort, ending up just closing her mouth and muttering ‘nevermind’ and pulling on her own coat. “No, Tina, what is it?”

“Nevermind!” She said louder, Newt raising an eyebrow but putting the other shoe on a now quiet and solemn looking Credence. “Let’s go.”

Once they all got out of the house, with Credence holding one of both Tina and Newt’s hands, they headed to the train station. On the way there, Newt tried to initiate a conversation with Tina over Credence’s head, Tina ignoring him until they arrived at the train station and met up with Theseus. 

Credence leapt into Theseus’s arms, hugging him tightly and giggling happily. Theseus hugged him back, moving Credence to his hip so he could hold him easier. Newt went to get Theseus’s bags, Tina following him.

“What’s wrong?” Newt asked once they were at the luggage station, Tina sighing and massaging her nose. 

“It’s dumb, don’t worry about it,” She told him, Newt’s head tilting curiously. “Well, Credence is- I’m- well…” She groaned, shaking her head and starting to carefully walk her through the bags, looking for Theseus’s luggage. “Credence is closer to you, isn’t he?”

“What?” Newt asked, trying his best to not step on the bags they were walking over. “Tina, he-”

“There’s a clear bias when one person is ‘papa’ and the other is ‘Miss Tina,’” Tina said, the reply sounding more snappy than she wanted. “Sorry, it’s just-”

“He calls you ‘mum’ around me.” 

Tina froze, her hand gripping a nametag and crinkling it horribly. She slowly released the tag, checking the name and finding out with a extra stab of embarrassment that it was not Theseus’s luggage. She felt Newt’s shoulder nudge hers, and she looked up at him. 

“... Really?” 

Newt nodded, holding up a rather small bag that had Theseus’s name on it. They started to head back, Tina’s heart hammering.

“But why doesn’t he-?”

“I don’t know,” Newt sighed, grabbing Tina’s hand suddenly. He played with her fingers in a familiar way, shaking their hands vaguely and running his thumb over her palm. “Well, he calls you ‘mama,’ really, not ‘mum,’ but you understand- do you?”

“Yes,” Tina said, not understanding at all. Once Theseus and Credence were in their line of sight, Newt waved, Theseus heading over to them.

“Miss Goldstein, you’re stunningly beautiful as always,” Theseus told her, holding out a hand for her to shake. Tina smiled, shaking his hand.

“Same to you, Mister Scamander.” 

Newt stifled a laugh from beside her, Theseus’s grin growing as they let go of each other’s hands.

\---

Tina felt herself being shaked, her eyes cracking open slowly. She turned her head to the side sleepily, her brain not yet awake enough to process what was going on. She was shaken again, Tina holding back her irritated groan before sitting up. 

“Yes?” She asked, pushing Newt’s arm off of her lap and rubbing her eyes, finally processing that Credence was the one who woke her up. “What is it?”

“I had a nightmare,” Credence said smally, his voice shaky and thick with tears. Tina frowned slightly, racking her brain to remember how to take care of Credence after his nightmares. “Can I p’ease sleep with you and papa?”

“Of course, Creed,” Tina said, Credence scrambling onto the bed and on her lap, cuddling close to her. Tina hugged him gently, one of her hands soothingly rubbing his arm. “Do you want to talk about it, or…?”

“No!” Credence squeaked loudly, quieting down when Newt flinched in his sleep next to them. “No,” he repeated quietly, shaking his head.

“Alright then,” Tina said softly. Credence cuddled closer to her, sighing quietly. “Do you want to sleep now?”

“Yes, mama,” Credence said sleepily, and all of Tina’s former tiredness was replaced quickly with shocked awakeness. 

Had she heard him correctly? Did he really-

“Night, mama.” Credence got in between her and Newt, pulling up the blankets to his chin and closing his eyes once his head hit the pillow. Tina sat up, her heart racing as she went over what just happened. 

Credence had called her  _ mama.  _ Not ‘Ma,’ which was what Mary Lou had made him call her, nor ‘mum,’ something that, if she were being honest, fitted Newt more. 

But Tina was neither of those things. She was  _ mama.  _ And, in her opinion, that was loads better than any other word for ‘mother.’

She laid back down, Credence’s back pressed against her arm. Tina felt herself start to fall asleep; before she passed out entirely, she made the mental note to brag about it to Newt when they woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! You can leave a kudos or a comment, if you want ;)
> 
> Feel free to give me some suggestions for future works!


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